The Federal Fair Housing Act, 42 U.S.C. 3601 prohibits housing providers from discriminating on the basis of race, color, national origin, religion, sex, marital status and disability. Most states, including Florida, have their own anti-discrimination laws, such as the Florida Fair Housing Act. In Florida, community associations are bound by both the Federal and Florida […]
Closing of La Verne country club worrying neighborhood residents (CA)
The closing of a La Verne country club has people who live in the neighborhood worried about the future of the golf course. For people who live on Sherwood Drive in La Verne, the neighborhood is close to perfect. It’s not just because of the view of the mountains, but the quiet appeal of living […]
How Can Your HOA Enforce Proper Swim Attire?
Can our community adopt rules concerning appropriate attire at the pool? How would we enforce it? We have a lot of families and young children using the pool during the summer, and we’d like to head off a potential problem if possible. Read the article………………………..
Local groups offer private subsidy to Oro Valley golf courses (AZ)
The group has teed off at the two 18-hole courses for years, and have watched it change hands multiple times. Stephen Jones is a member, and happens to also be president of the Cañada Hills Community Association, which consists of 1,889 homes wrapped around the golf courses. Many of these homeowners have been concerned about […]
Vellano Golf Course owners sue Chino Hills (CA)
“WGP Vellano wants to build 250 homes on the former golf course property, even though the land is zoned for recreational use,” said Mike Konrad, president of the Vellano Homeowners’ Association. “If we allow developers to flaunt the law and terrorize homeowners in order to build more housing on protected land, there will be a […]
Before buying golf course, Oakmont Village residents must agree to raise their own dues (CA)
Of the many voices heard at a surprisingly civil neighborhood meeting involving the pending sale of the Oakmont Golf Club, the loudest belonged to a man who was out of the country. Larry Galloway is president of Advance Golf Partners, which has joined forces with the Oakmont Village Association to help keep the golf club […]
Family sues for $1 million after son drowns at community pool near Katy (TX)
Ga Ram Kang died on Cinco De Mayo this year. He was 6. “Ga Ram was our everything,” his mother, Jocelyn Kang, said. Kang is also a Harris County Precinct 7 deputy constable. Her son drowned at a pool in the King Crossing subdivision in Katy. Read the article……………………
Sierra La Verne Country Club ownership to close its latest golf course, this time in La Verne (CA)
It started with a real estate listing last summer, billing Sierra La Verne Country Club as potential residential property. Then a couple of weeks ago, the owners of the course began installing a bright orange mesh fence around its property without proper permits, according to the city. Read the article……………………
Concord homeowners association tells swim team they can no longer use pool (CA)
For more than four decades, the Walnut Country Swim Team has held practices and swim meets at the Cowell Homeowners Association pool in Concord. “It’s a community. It’s a family. It’s what I do all summer. Like it’s all I do is a swim,” says swim team member Sarah Kindorf However, last month the team […]
Condominium Shared Facilities – Top 8 issues (ON)
In a previous blog post we wrote about the requirements for shared facility managers to be licenced where one or more of the parties to the shared facility agreement is a condominium corporation. This is a new requirement recently introduced when the Condominium Management Services Act, 2015 (“CMSA”) came into effect. Read the article…………………………..
Woman Says Dead Tree on Derelict Golf Course Almost Hit Her (FL)
A woman who says she was nearly hit by a falling tree from a golf course that hasn’t been maintained in more than a year says the new owners need to take action. The new owners of Legends Golf and Country Club in Clermont say they’re working through legal and financial difficulties to get the […]
Stoneybrook West Golf Club owner faces fines (FL)
A golf course in one Winter Garden community continues to sit overgrown and unused — but not without a price. Winter Garden’s Code Enforcement Board voted at its June 4 meeting to cite Miguel Vidal — the new owner of the Stoneybrook West Golf Club — a fine of $2,000 per day regarding several code […]
Pool patrol: Communities struggling to fill summer lifeguard positions
Warm summer days typically mean there are plenty of opportunities for adults and children to swim and splash in community pools. However, a shortage of lifeguards nationwide is limiting the hours, or even days, that pools are open. Read the article…………………..
Implementing HOA and Condo Clubhouse Policies
Summer is in full swing and that means HOA and condominium clubhouses and recreation centers are experiencing a higher than average volume of users. Ranging from small enclosed gazebos to elaborate mini country clubs, these structures serve a multitude of functions. Since more residents are using these amenities this time of year, now is […]
10 Tips for Pool Management and Maintenance
Summer is an exciting time in any community—kids are out of school, the weather is perfect for barbecues and snow cones, and families are looking for ways to keep cool. That’s where the community pool comes in. As a board member, you want to do everything you can to make sure your homeowners have fun […]
Club West golf could return this fall (AZ)
Club West residents likely will know by next week if the prospective new owners will be closing their deal with Wilson Gee to buy the golf course. Four men, including Ahwatukee Realtor Mike Mendoza, have until June 10 to complete a due diligence period for evaluating the property — but Gee’s broker is optimistic the […]
Concord Swim Team Ordered By HOA To Find A New Home Pool (CA)
With summer camp season underway, one East Bay swim team has learned it is going to have to find a new pool for practice sessions and home meets. The Walnut Country Stingrays in Concord are being kicked out of their longtime home…….The team received the notice from an attorney for the Walnut Country HOA last […]
Northcliffe Golf Club closes operations (TX)
The sudden shuttering of the Northcliffe Golf Club sparked a standing-room-only crowd at May 28’s Schertz City Council meeting, with residents in turns imploring and demanding that council members do something to keep the neighborhood golf course open…….Bill Edmonds, president of the Northcliffe HOA, said he believed the course has fallen on hard times because […]
HOA Pool Safety: Debate over Eliminating Lifeguards
Q: Our association is considering eliminating the lifeguard at our pool. Other than posting “swim at your own risk” signs, is there anything else we need to do to ensure swimmers safety? Read the article……………………….
Controversy brewing over ‘adults only’ swim time in Gaithersburg community (MD)
Did you hit the pool this Memorial Day? At many pools, there’s a whistle blown every hour or so alerting everyone that it’s time for adult swim! But if that’s happening at the pool where you live, it could be breaking federal law. Some Gaithersburg residents found that out the hard way this holiday weekend. Read […]
Real estate appraisal: Home values drop if Oro Valley closes golf (AZ)
A real estate appraisal commissioned by the Cañada Hills Community Association finds that a partial or full closure of the town-owned golf courses would result in a “significant loss” in home values near the site and an overall negative effect on the community. Read the article………………………
Pool Safety Tips for Your Association
A swimming pool in a condominium or homeowner Association can be a welcome amenity to residents. However, it is important that the Association implement rules and regulations that are suited for the community and address potential legal issues. Here are four safety tips your Association should consider that address pool upkeep and liability. Read the […]
Swimming pool drains into condo building, D.C. fire department says
A rooftop pool can be a fun way for apartment residents to keep cool in Washington summers. However, things can occasionally go wrong — giving rise on Monday to what the D.C. fire department called an “unusual incident.” In a Twitter message, the fire department said a broken pipe caused a rooftop pool to drain […]
Lakewood: Judge says Fairways developer sent ‘mixed messages’ to buyers (NJ)
The developer vying to put homes at Eagle Ridge Golf Club has been dismissed from a consumer fraud lawsuit filed by nearby residents. In a 48-page opinion, an Ocean County judge delivered a slate of rulings that limit the residents’ claims going forward to the company that built their golf course-adjacent homes decades ago, the […]
‘This could be it’: The Springs Club is trying something new: get golfers and HOAs working together (CA)
It’s been one of the greatest battles in the desert over the last decade: golfers versus homeowners associations. As golf clubs struggle with dwindling membership and participation, golfers have looked to the HOAs for revenue, arguing property values for homes rely in part on a healthy golf club. HOA members who are not golfers but […]
Fair Housing & Religious Accommodation: Curto v. A Country Place Condominium Association, Inc.
Sometimes, a community association tries to accommodate religious preferences and ends up discriminating on another basis. That is what happened in Curto v A Country Place Condominium Association, Inc., according to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit in a New Jersey condominium case handed down yesterday. In this case, the condominium had […]
Use of pool by minor rule could be discriminatory (FL)
Q: Our community has maintained a long-standing rule that you must be 18 or older to use the pool unaccompanied, and if you are under the age of 18, you must have a parent with you. A purchaser with children is claiming this rule is discriminatory. Is he right? https://www.naplesnews.com/story/money/real-estate/2019/05/25/use-pool-minor-rule-could-discriminatory/3756611002/
Several Hurt When Chlorine Surges At Lincolnshire Condo Pool (IL)
The fire department in Lincolnshire says 14 people were taken to hospitals Thursday afternoon after a chlorine leak at a condo building swimming pool, with gas readings so high they blew out two meters. It’s an outdoor pool, but the building nearby is where the chlorine leak occurred, at the Village Green Condos in Lincolnshire. […]
How to Make Your Pool More Sustainable
For many community associations the pool is a key amenity where neighbors can gather and enjoy the sun. However, pools, especially freshwater pools, require a lot of maintenance. Some of that maintenance requires chemicals and actions that are less than sustainable but there are steps you can take to ensure a more eco-friendly pool this […]
HOA Pool Safety Reminders
Pool season is here! Children will soon be out of school for the summer, and families are sure to be visiting the HOA pool much more often – that’s why we’re providing some simple safety tips you can use to prepare your community for the pool season. Read the article…………………..
Common Sense Rules Regarding Children at Play May Violate Federal Fair Housing Law
It is getting warmer out (slowly) and your association may be reviewing your recreation and pool rules, especially those regarding children, to get ready for the summer season. In the summer there are children out of school playing around and about the complex, and everyone swimming in the pool. Be careful in making rules specifically […]
Who Pays the Property Taxes on a Golf Course Development in Florida?
Q. I am thinking about buying a home on a golf course development in South Florida. Do homes like that typically have their own property taxes or are taxes paid through the development? Read the Q&A…………………………
Icon condominium owners fight developer for reimbursement following pool structure issues (TN)
Condominium owners at the Icon in the Gulch were forced to pay nearly $1.1-million to rebuild their pool after an inspector deemed it was at risk of collapsing. Now, residents are demanding that the developer reimburse them for the project. There were cracks in the pool, and 1,000 gallons of water leaking every day into […]
Lakewood Condo Pool Sex Segregation Discriminatory, Court Rules (NJ)
Swimming pool use times that are segregated by sex at a Lakewood condominium complex have been ruled discriminatory by a federal appeals court. In a ruling issued Monday, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Third District ruled unanimously in overturning a lower court’s summary judgment that a schedule of segregated pool use times at […]
Gwinnett country club golf course could become 250+ senior homes (GA)
The country club currently has 27 holes of golf. If approved, the new development would leave the club with nine holes, a third of its current golf offerings. The remaining golf facilities would be on the western side of the course, according to documents filed with the city. A subdivision of 109 homes surrounds the […]
Poliakoff: HOA sports alterations may not require membership vote (FL)
Q: We are an HOA with 195 homes. Our amenities are a pool and a tennis court. Our board has decided that they want to get rid of the tennis court and replace it with two bocce courts and a shuffleboard court. Can this be done by the board exclusively, or would the homeowners need […]
Hygiene in Shared Amenities: Keeping It Clean
One of the biggest perks of modern multifamily living is the all-inclusive, amenity-rich building or HOA. Depending on your own building’s offerings, you can go to the gym, swim, have a spa treatment, entertain your kids in the community playroom, or even take in a movie. When you add in food delivery services, work-from-home arrangements […]
Timberlane Estates looking to special tax to rescue ailing West Jefferson golf course (LA)
Like a worried golfer reaching for a trusted pitching wedge to get him out of trouble, Timberlane Estates is the second West Jefferson subdivision in two years to turn to a new tax as a way to help get its ailing golf course out of the rough. Read the article…………………..
No deal reached between Indian Wells developers, HOA over golf course land (SC)
A compromise on what to do with nearly 154 acres that make up Indian Wells golf course has not been reached between homeowners and the devloper. Many, including those on the Horry County Planning Commission, told WMBF News they hoped a deal could be reached between developers and the Indian Wells Homeowners Association prior to […]
Condo and Co-Op Conversion: Not Out of Time, Not Out of Luck (NY)
Many cooperatives and condominiums have overlooked, for decades, potent statutory rights enabling them to recapture building amenities currently under long-term, unfavorable leases with their developers. Because those rights were first promulgated during the 1980s’ cooperative and condominium conversion boom, they are often discounted as stale or forgotten altogether. But recent litigation may offer new hope […]
Lakota Canyon Golf Course owners file Chapter 11, but golf season still a go (CO)
Warrior Acquisitions LLC, owner of New Castle’s Lakota Canyon Golf Course, is currently undergoing a reorganization and leadership changes after the company and its affiliates filed for Chapter 11 relief earlier this month. Lakota Canyon Ranch Homeowners Association Board President Mark McDonald said the clubhouse and golf course will continue to operate this season, and […]
Commissioners decline Orange Park Country Club purchase (FL)
Clay County commissioners decided Tuesday not to purchase the Orange Park Country Club two weeks after it abruptly closed some of its amenities. During a meeting between commissioners, homeowners and the homeowners association president, the commission decided not to take on the country club because it didn’t feel the development was feasible for the county […]
Dispute over Chino Hills golf course fence continues Tuesday (CA)
The Vellano Golf Course owner is persistently refusing to remove the chain-link fence it installed around the Chino Hills course without permits in May 2018 after receiving code enforcement violations from the city. Read the article……………….
Local golf course thrives two years after it was shut down (FL)
You may have played a round of golf on Cape Royal Golf Course in Cape Coral once or twice. In 2016, it was what some people considered an “ok” course. Then it closed. It wasn’t just Cape Royal or ‘Royal Tee’ as it was called at the time that closed. In 2016, The National Golf […]
Concerns for property values, overgrowth after Orange Park Golf Course abruptly closes (FL)
Local families are concerned for their property values and living near a rundown golf course after Orange Park Country Club abruptly closed its doors. The course opened in 1990. It’s part of what brought Wendy and Michael Jones to the country club in October. “It’s very unfortunate,” Michael Jones said. “It’s a huge asset to […]
Supervisors “condemn” actions of Gibson (MS)
The Pearl River County Board of Supervisors voted Monday to “condemn” property owner Mark Gibson for placing what were referred to as “two old raggedy trailers” on property at the entrance to Lake Hillsdale. Board Vice President Hudson Holliday called it “an intentional act to diminish property values.” Holliday further called the placement of the […]
South Africa: Golf estates: Life cycle presents challenges
Today, every sixth golf course in South Africa is situated on a residential golfing estate. This is quite remarkable, considering that the first local golf estate was established only 32 years ago. There are two types of residential golf estates – primary and secondary. A third of golf estates can be regarded as primary residential, […]
HOA Homefront: Can you ban children under 13 from a community pool?
Q: I recently read your earlier article on fair housing laws being violated by HOAs trying to enforce state-mandated signs that prohibit children from using HOA pool and spa. We have a large sign at the spa in our community pool section stating “children under 14 are prohibited from using the spa.” It’s just a […]
Leisure Town residents want better care of closed golf course (CA)
The view that Leisure Town residents once had from their backyards of a green, well-kept golf course is now that of an unappealing, weed-choked expanse. And now, they would like to see something more done about the weeds and rubbish that accumulate on the former Green Tree Golf Course. Read the article…………………
Let courts rule first on Eagle Ridge (NJ)
Two lawsuits are pending against the developer that wants to transform the Eagle Ridge golf course in Lakewood into 556 residential units and a shopping center. But that hasn’t stopped GDMS Holdings LLC from filing an application with the township Planning Board. It is within its rights to do so, and if it gains approval […]